What is Vfe?

• A. Vfe is the maximum flap-extended speed.
• B. Vfe is the minimum flap-extended speed.
• C. Vfe is never-exceed speed.
• D. Vfe is stall speed in landing configuration.

Answer: (A)

Vfe is the maximum speed at which you can fly with the flaps extended. Flaps help you fly at slower speeds by increasing lift, which is why you use them for approach and landing. But having the flaps out also increases the wing’s structural loads, so there’s a published speed limit for each flap setting. Exceeding that speed can overstress the flap mechanism and the wing. So the number you see for Vfe depends on how far the flaps are extended, and you typically fly at or below that limit whenever the flaps are down. This is different from stall speed in the landing configuration or from a never-exceed speed, which apply under different conditions.